The Girl From Venice

"Fishermen believed in demons and wraiths. Everyone knew stories about men who took their place at the family table a day after they had drowned. Or of a miraculous vision of Saint Angelo that calmed a storm. Or of a captain who ignored a warning from the Madonna herself and was sucked up by a whirlpool into the drink. Superstitions. Fables. Bedtime stories to scare children."

Three Stations district in Moscow

"On the subway home, I’ll keep plowing through Martin Cruz Smith’s new novel, “The Girl From Venice” (a love story, so sweet), then cook a big bowl of Mario Batali’s penne all’arrabbiata for dinner, walk the dog, keep reading (it’s pretty fun)."

- Sam Sifton, New York Times

“A clever, well-crafted, and exciting blend of WWII romance, suspense, and intrigue… Capture, escape, a hoard of stolen gold, a forger, and a Swiss movie producer add action and passion to the novel’s unexpected plot twists, and its most satisfying conclusion."

- Publishers Weekly

“[An] appealing mix of WWII thriller and fable-like romance…Smith does something quite remarkable here, smoothly blending a fascinating glimpse of Italy in war-ending chaos with a rich-girl-poor-boy romance that draws on fairy tales (think Beauty and the Beast, though Cenzo cleans up nicely) and classic rom-com (an edgier Roman Holiday). Even Renko devotees won’t mind putting down their vodka for a sip of refreshing prosecco.”

- Booklist

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